Destinations like the ashram town of Rishikesh or the former British capital of Shimla are where you’ll begin to feel the transition into the far north. The culture still feels classically Indian, but the climate is cool, the scenery alpine, and the markets peppered with stalls selling thukpa and momos.

Further north, at Dharamshala, the scenery changes again. The pine forests remain, but towering above them now are rocky, snowcapped peaks. Dharamshala is best-known as the home of the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile, and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries predominate in the former colonial enclave of McLeod Ganj.

Further north still, India opens out into the Himalayas proper. To the west are Kashmir and Jammu, which constitute the Sufi Islamic side of the far north, bordering Pakistan. A magical place to visit in peaceful times, with epically beautiful scenery, it’s not currently safe for tourists. To the east, the wide-open wilderness of Ladakh is a different story. Ethnolinguistically Tibetan, with Buddhist gompas and Potala-like palaces dotted through starkly beautiful valleys.

The far north combines beautifully with a more classic route through Rajasthan and the north, and will introduce you to a completely different side of India.